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Her expression gives away nothing. Her son stands in full-on bodyguard mode, chaperoning the whole interaction.
“I heard about what happened with your daughter from Reid and came to offer my services. I’m not sure if you’re handy or if your spouse or mate is, but with a childproof lock, we can make sure she can’t go for any more night rides.”
“I don’t have a spouse or a mate,” she says sharply. Under her breath, she adds, “Bunch of nosy-ass neighbors.”
Her death stare makes me grin.I’ve been caught, and I don’t give a fuck. She’s not mated, but she does have a mate.Two of them.She’s ours, free and clear. All I have to do now is convince her of it.
“Small towns and I’m curious.” I shrug. “But I’m here to help. Honest. My sisters have kids, and the stories I hear make me think the adults have to stick together.”
She sighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t pay you to do that, and I don’t need charity.” She moves to close the door in my face.
“Wait!” I hold out my hand. “Let me do this for you. I already had the parts in my shed, sitting around. It’s no trouble.”
That’s not a total lie. I bought them the morning after Reid met her. So they have been sitting around my shed for the last several days while I tried to make an excuse to see her.
She cocks her head, her gaze assessing. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.” She reaches out her hand. “I’m Cammie, and this is Ben.”
The moment her hand touches me, my palm tingles. I want to scent her, wrap her in my arms, and rub myself along her until she smells like mine.
Her eyes dart to me, her lips falling open before she yanks back her hand. “What do you need from me?” she asks, the question so full of mistrust that it hurts.
“Not a thing. Ben is going to help. Right?”
He nods but remains quiet.
That’s not a no. In fact, I would say that my track record for yes this evening is one hundred percent.
Chapter 5
Cammie
Iwatch from the kitchen as my neighbor Finn installs a childproof lock on my back door with my son. It probably needs approval from the rental company. With the rent hike, they’ll know about it sooner than later when I have to move. But it does bring a sense of comfort I wasn’t expecting.
Since Emmaline’s jailbreak, I’ve been beating myself up for not waking sooner. Shouldn’t there be, like, a mom version of super-senses? If there is, it looks as though mine are defective or didn’t come equipped for the enhanced Em version.If ever there was a march-to-their-own-drum kind of kid, it’s Emmaline. I love that about her, but it scares me that I don’t know how to keep her safe.
I’ve taken to sleeping on the couch. My room at the back of the bungalow is too far from the door. It probably doesn’t matter. I didn’t hear her the first time, and I was on the couch. But it makes me feel a little more in control.
And now, this surprise gift means I might manage more than a couple of hours of sleep tonight. I’m not used to anyone trying to make my life easier, but the fact that this man did is kinda nice.
Honestly, I like him and my nosy neighbors. The thought of moving back into my sister’s two-bedroom apartment that she already shares with her alpha and four kids makes me feel like a failure and a burden. I want to settle in this town and not feel as though the other shoe is always dropping. There’s no use wishing for things that won’t be though.
I look away from the omega and go back to washing dishes. My water and power may be cut off any time this week, so I need to ensure I’m caught up on the mess. The reality is I can’t afford this life, even though I want it.
After getting nowhere at the town office today, I switched shifts with Jazmine at Mel’s so I only worked lunch, picked up Em from my sister’s house, and ran home. I’ve managed to wash and dry our clothes, clean up around the house, and get some non-perishable goods. It’s Armageddon prep. Growing up like I did means I’m used to it. I’ll restock my big water jugs tomorrow and make sure I have batteries for the lanterns, and pray I make enough this week to get caught back up on my bills.
The whirr of a screw gun draws my attention back to Ben and the omega. Finn instructs Ben, his tone easy and patient. It’s impressive how good he is with Ben. My son hasn’t spoken much. That’s the new normal, but his body language is loose, and he looks at Finn often to listen. Whenever Trent tried to teach Ben something, he would yell at him for getting it wrong and take over the task himself. It usually resulted in tears and a pissed off alpha who would disappear for an afternoon. But the way Finn is acting is always the way I imagined.
Maybe it’s that omega nurturing thing people are always going on about. I guess I’ve never really seen it in a man. Before today, I’d never spent any time with an omega, and certainly never in my house. They went to school with me, but the omegas didn’t have the same classes as the rest of us. And besides, they were like royalty. Everyone wanted to be them or bang them, sometimes both.
Emmaline comes into the kitchen from where she’s been playing with her brother’s old toy cars. She wraps her arm around my thigh. “Why is that man pretty?”
Her question is asked as a whisper-shout. It’s the opposite of subtle.
I call her name, and at the same time, Ben turns to look at her over his shoulder, rolling his eyes. “He’s an omega, Em.”
The man is pretty. He’s a study of contradictions, exuding both masculine and feminine energy that doesn’t add up to androgynous. He’s probably 6’1” and built like an MMA fighter, with broad shoulders that taper to a narrow waist. He’s also covered in colorful tattoos from his knuckles to his throat, but they lean artsy instead of looking like the biker tattoos Cutter has.
His features are fine, almost small. His nose is thin, his mouth pouty, and his jaw chiseled. Combine that with the sandy-blond waves that fall into his face and his uncanny light green eyes, and I’ve been forcing myself not to stare all night.
